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Poster for Possession

Possession

Seen it?

1981 | 124 min | Horror

Saturday Special

Why it’s a Saturday Special

People are still talking about it and it earned strong reviews (85% on Rotten Tomatoes), despite a box office flop. A strong pick for the weekend.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
Made for horror fans. If you loved Frenzy or Barbarian, start here.
The mood
Scary and gory.
The pace
Moves along nicely, at 2 hr 4 min.
What might put you off
Rated R: expect violence.

A young woman left her family for an unspecified reason. The husband determines to find out the truth and starts following his wife. At first, he suspects that a man is involved. But gradually, he finds out more and more strange behaviors and bizarre incidents that indicate something more than a possessed love affair.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsStrong

    85% on Rotten Tomatoes, 75 on Metacritic

  • AudiencesSolid

    7.3 out of 10

  • AwardsBelow par

    Won 1 Cannes award: Cannes Film Festival: Best Actress. Plus 2 other awards.

  • Box office & staying powerWeak

    $2 million worldwide on a $2 million budget

  • Buzz & cultural impactVery strong

    About 818K people sought it out in the past year

Trailer

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Cast & crew

Directed by Andrzej Żuławski

  • Isabelle AdjaniAnna / Helen
  • Sam NeillMark
  • Margit CarstensenMargit Gluckmeister
  • Heinz BennentHeinrich
  • Johanna HoferHeinrich's Mother
  • Carl DueringPrivate Detective
  • Shaun LawtonZimmermann
  • Michael HogbenBob
  • Maximilian RüthleinMan with Pink Socks
  • Thomas FreyPink Sock's Acolyte